Courage
by Blessed Are The Sick
Summary: One-shot. Slight NegiNodo. "I am Miyazaki Nodoka, Treasure Hunter and member of the Ala Alba. My counterattack starts here."


a/n: pretty much just an interpretation of Nodoka's epic part in the most recent arc (with the dinner party, the battles, jack rakan "dying", etc). don't remember which chapter specifically atm.

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**///COURAGE**

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"Rewrite."

Nodoka's mind wouldn't allow her to believe it. The black mage must have been playing tricks on her mind. Even as his body blossomed into white petals, even as they softly kissed her face, Nodoka refused to believe that such a power could exist.

Craig was fading into nothingness.

With a mere snap of his wrist, the mage had reduced the upper half of Craig's body into flower blossoms, exerting no more effort than flicking a pile of dust into the wind. Craig's legs followed suit, disintegrating so quickly that the petals managed to maintain their form for a few precious seconds, before lifelessly falling to the ground. His left arm bounced against the ground, and the mage delivered the final, merciful blow.

"Rewrite."

The arm exploded, white flakes sliding across the floor.

"Cra.."

_"Craig!" _

Aisha's screams were faint, as if her and Nodoka were miles apart. Time slowed. Pieces of Craig's remembrance floated past on soft winds, sheets of billowing velvet gliding past her face. The crumbling, faded brown stone of the hall, and the intricate contours twisting and weaving across the floor curved beneath the cloak of the black mage. His key-staff floated by his side, and his massive, black claws orchestrated the entire scene, inching ever closer to Nodoka's face.

"Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust. Dreams to dreams. Illusion to illusion."

The mage's scaled fingers held Nodoka's delicate head in its grasp. Her heart tap-danced against the walls of her chest, her body frozen in sheer terror, still unable to comprehend the situation as the black mage's heavy, finalizing voice uttered Nodoka's last rites.

"And eternal rest to all."

His cold hand veiled Nodoka's face in black, her eyes staring into the brink of death.

_ "You stupid!"_

Something collided into Nodoka's side, lifting the veil from her eyes. Fingers grabbed her waist as warm, soft skin pressed against her back. And then Nodoka heard Aisha's yells, followed by a harsh, earth-shattering noise; the conclusion of an explosive fire spell.

_"Run already!"_

Time snapped back. The next thing Nodoka heard was the mage's voice, terminal and unyielding.

"Rewrite."

Petals scattered through the wind.

_"Aisha-san!" _

Nodoka's knees hit the floor, her body unable to bare the weight of her fallen friends. Tears welled in her eyes, her bottom lip trembling, her fingers clawing against the ground, dirt and dust caking into her fingernails. Why had they sacrificed themselves for her? She should have been stronger. She should have helped them, instead of standing there, watching them die.

"Miyazaki!" Asakura's words bounced lifelessly off of Nodoka's body. "It's no good! Run for it!"

A tape-reel kept playing through Nodoka's mind, viewing Craig and Aisha's deaths over and over again. "Aisha-san...Craig-san..."

The specter glided towards Nodoka, his eyes scanning her. They weren't full of malice, but rather pity, as if he were putting a dying puppy out of its misery. "Worry not, young girl. It is not your fate to die here." He lifted his fingers, black tendrils raising high over Nodoka's frail form. "Just as with those who vanished before you...you will merely live on in the Endless Garden"

Familiar friends raced through Nodoka's mind. Yue, Haruna, and the other members of the Ala Alba. Memories flashed before her eyes, moments that she would cherish for a lifetime: Haruna's crazy schemes, Yue's cold, though well-meaning logic, and the general crazy antics of the Ala Alba.

She remembered the class trip to Kyoto, and how she had worked up the strength to confess to Negi-sensei. After stumbling through the entire day, trying to express to Negi-sensei how she felt, Nodoka finally managed to snag the right words.

_"I've liked you since the day we met, Negi-sensei! I...I love you, Negi-sensei!"_

There was the Mahora Festival; Nodoka's warm embrace with Yue in the pool. How their clothes were completely soaked through, and how Yue had softly cried into Nodoka's shoulder.

_"If Negi-sensei doesn't have anyone that he likes, then let's do our best, Yue-san."_

Her kiss with Negi-sensei, overlooking the Mahora Illusion show. The sparklers shooting off in the lawn had illuminated his cute, gentle face with so many wonderful colors. Nodoka's whole body quivered...but it was a good feeling. It was exhilarating, and breath-taking.

_"I feel happy just being able to talk to Negi-sensei like this. I'm really slow...and clumsy...and really shy too...but after Sensei came, I started to try hard at everything...I think this can be thanks to Sensei."_

_ "I can always find courage from Sensei. I...I love this, Negi-sensei!"_

And then she had kissed him. Nodoka knew that she might ― no, probably _was _overstepping her bounds, but she was caught up in the moment. It was then or never. Negi-sensei's lips were so soft, so small, and so cute. The risks of her endeavor vanished, along with the paralyzing anxiety hiding in the corners of her heart.

And there were her adventures with Craig and the gang, escaping from crumbling mountainside ruins, constantly a hair's length from death. Nodoka could barely find her breath afterwards, but she knew that it was worth it. Aisha, and the whole gang had looked her over, their eyes full of pride.

_"You've really gotten tough, haven't you? Back when we first found you, collapsed in those ruins, and let you join up with us, I really had no clue what to do with you."_

"What is more, unlike them, as a human, you will leave a body behind."

Wait. Warm waves radiated from Nodoka's heart, her resolve hardening. She had faced difficult situations before, which were just as harrowing as this. She imagined all of her friends cheering her on. Haruna's hand rested on her shoulder, shaking her back to life. Yue's stood off to her side, a ghost of a smile across her lips, offering encouraging words and logical ways to escape this situation. The entire class of 3-A shouted their support, telling Nodoka to get on her feet, reminding her of the strength that she had accumulated along the way.

_No. I can't run. Not yet. _

Nodoka staggered to her feet.

_There is still something we can do! This isn't over yet...I'm certain of it! _Because Nodoka stood with the entire strength of the Ala Alba behind her. Her heart drummed the beat of a victory march, unwilling to accept this cruel fate.

And then Nodoka felt small, tentative fingers gently clenching her hand. Negi-sensei's soft smile alone filtered rays of hope into the bleak darkness. Her resolution was solidified. As long as Negi-sensei was with her, Nodoka could do anything.

_Craig-san...Aisha-san...I swear I will... _Nodoka clinched her fists, forcing all the power that she could muster into her words."You made the mistake...of thinking me a mere powerless girl, Mr. Mage."

Nodoka turned her right arm towards the mage, pointing the _Comptina Daemonia _directly into his black form. She took a deep breath, and yelled.

_"What is...your name!"_

_ 'Dynamis' _wrote itself across her vision, penned in pink, soft serifs. The mage's eyes reeled with shock. _"I see...that is..." _Dynamis's cloak gathered around him, and then melted against the ancient tile as his form compressed against the floor. He sprung towards Nodoka, his palm hitting squarely into her chest. Nodoka's shoulder quaked with pain as it hit stone, her body flopping across the floor.

Nodoka was better than this. Craig and Aisha had taught her how to strengthen herself. They had imparted a piece of their strength to her, and Nodoka could hardly wait to put it to use.

_"Teach you magic?" _Aisha had seemed skeptical when Nodoka had asked her. _"Well sure, but it'll take time. You don't have a natural talent for it or anything. Well, you ought to be able to pick up the basics, at least."_

Nodoka planted her hands against the ground, heaving air in and out of her chest.

_"Hahahah! I guess it wasn't much good against real-life bounty hunters, huh?" _Nodoka's first experience with magic in the field had been less than successful, but nevertheless, Craig had smiled proudly at her. _"But don't worry girlie...there's a trick to this kind of thing. You listening? No matter how strong a guy is, he always has some kind of flaw...a psychological weak point to take advantage of. If that artifact of yours can really read people's minds, then if you can just find that weak point..."_

"Melan Kai Sphairikon Desmotorian!"

Dark swords sliced their way into existence, circling around Dynamis in an intricate dance. And then, as Dynamis marvelled at the spell, Nodoka saw her chance. It was just like kissing Negi-sensei, or confronting Yue-san. She could do this. Nodoka put a hand to her raging heart, took a deep breath, and went for it.

Her feet pounded against the ground, dodging the black swords of her own spell, and running ever closer to the key-staff floating to Dynamis's side. She jumped. Her hands grabbed the middle of the staff, wrenching it from Dynamis's control as she landed.

Perfect.

_Thank you, my friends. Negi-sensei, Yue-san, Haruna-san, Craig-san, Aisha-san. The Ala Alba. _Nodoka jutted the end of the staff into the ground. _As long as I have them with me, I can do anything. I'll never give up. _Her chest clenched with fear, but her mind was made up. She'd prove herself worthy to her friends. She would prove her strength, no matter the enemy.

"I am Miyazaki Nodoka, Treasure Hunter and member of the Ala Alba."

Nodoka snapped her head around, glaring at Dynamis out of the corner of her eye.

"My counterattack starts here."

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**END COURAGE///**


End file.
